The death toll from the sinking of a migrant boat off the Syrian coast after it sailed from Lebanon rose to 94 on Saturday, Syrian state media reported.
It is the deadliest such incident after attempts to reach Europe illegally by sea became more common with the onset of Lebanon's severe economic crisis in 2019, which has left most of the population impoverished.
The Lebanese Army said on Saturday that the Intelligence Directorate had arrested a smuggler, identified as “BD”, who admitted to being involved in sending out the boat.
It said the vessel set sail for Italy on Wednesday and sank the following day.
The suspect was part of a gang smuggling migrants from northern Lebanon and the other members were being tracked down, the army said.
The boat departed from Miniyeh, a town just north of Lebanon's second city of Tripoli with a reputation for people smuggling.
At least 120 Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians were believed to have been on board, including elderly people and children.
Bodies began appearing on the shores of the Syrian city of Tartus and its surrounds on Thursday afternoon. It is not clear why the vessel sank.
Syria's Sana news agency said 14 of the 20 survivors admitted to a hospital in Tartus remained in hospital on Saturday, including two in intensive care.
The survivors included 12 Syrians, five Lebanese and three Palestinians, Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamie said.
Lebanon has become a launching pad for illegal migration attempts since 2019.
Syrian and Palestinian refugees seeking asylum in Europe typically make up most of the people setting sail from the Mediterranean country, although the number of Lebanese attempting the journey has increased as the economic situation worsened.
The smuggler-operated boats are usually overcrowded, and often get lost at sea for days after trying to evade or escape patrols.
About one million Syrians live in Lebanon as refugees, while the UN estimates there are nearly 500,000 registered Palestinian refugees.
On Friday, the families of the victims began crossing from Lebanon into Syria to identify their loved ones and collect their bodies.
Relatives and friends of the boat's occupants, including dozens of residents from the Palestinian camp of Nahr Al Bared near Tripoli, gathered at the Arida border crossing to await the bodies.
About 20 people aboard the boat came from the camp, said a resident who identified himself as Abu Hajjal.
A procession of cars and motorcycles followed the ambulances as they streamed through the border from Syria on Friday night.
Taxi driver Mustafa Misto and his three children, from the Bab Al Ramel neighbourhood of Tripoli, were among those who drowned.
His relatives held a wake for them in his family home.
“My heart is burning,” his sister Donia said. “They're all gone.”
“He wanted to go for the sake of his children and now look what's happened — they're all gone. May God burn the hearts of those who smuggled them just like my own heart is burning.”
Ghassan Dandashi, a taxi driver who was one of those who attended a prayer for Misto and his children at the local mosque, said he understood why people would undertake such a trip.
“Our leaders don't do anything for us and the situation here is so bad,” he said. “I would do it too if I could afford the trip. Anyone in their right mind would leave.”
In April, a migrant boat that set off from near Tripoli sank during an incident with the Lebanese Navy off the country's coast.
About 80 Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian migrants were on board, of whom about 40 were rescued, seven were confirmed dead and about 30 are still officially listed as missing.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The five pillars of Islam
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Frida%20
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The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The years Ramadan fell in May
